Birthmarks
by KatrinaSebastian
Summary: BladeTrina Allie McKnight, is the protector of NYC. She has to fight off the vampires, werewolves, gargoyles, androids, and hybrids. Brian Dave Batista tries to save NYC while dealing Zach. None of them want this war. Who pulls the strings? Pz R&R Ch.3 up
1. Patrol Calling

1

1. Patrol Calling

12:00 AM. It was exactly midnight; not a second before or after. The city that never sleeps; the "Big Apple". A city full of the dangerous and unexpected. The quiet night sky glistened upon the sparkling city. The midnight moon shined faintly in the ebony sky; but since the lights in NYC were too bright, you couldn't see the silver star unless you were on top of the Empire State Building or on top of the Statue of Liberty. A shadowy figure stood on top of the Empire State Building. The strong currents from the wind up north whirled their way to and against the figure's body.

For five long years in this grueling city, she has fought many demons, mobs, street gangs, criminals; and has faced many tasks. In this war-like city, most of the dark side knows all about her, her name; her strength, agility, sorcery and mercenary-assassin skills. The entire city was a war zone. There were five major groups involved for taking over all of NYC. The vampires: ruthless assassins that hunt for blood. The werewolves: dog-like packs who demand so much territory. The gargoyles: the night-winged clan who wanted control of the skies. The machines: robotic androids who only wanted acceptance. And the hybrids: creatures who were the combination of two or more beings that wanted peace and to be normal. But she … she was the start of the war.

No one knew how the humans got involved or how she was the reason for this war; all she knew was that she had to stop it, and she wasn't normal. Her name … her real name was Trinity Aaliyah Blake. But she had two names: during the day she was Trina Blake. But after twilight, her enemies knew her by one name only: Blade.

Trina wore a long, black leather trench coat with a black leather jacket underneath. Her hair was medium length, spiky and white. She wore black denim jeans, black chunky high heels, hardcore biker gloves, and a microphone ear piece so she could hear everything from the five leaders of the groups. Trina had a silver studded belt from her waist, two metal guns, and a lot of bullets.

The reason for her name as Blade: she was known to be a deadly weapon herself. Her specialty: the art of blades such as knives, daggers, sais, nearly anything she could get her hands on was a weapon for her use.

She knew that she was beyond normal. Trina always wanted to have that wonderful feeling of being a normal young twenty-something year old woman. But all she is … a freak. That's all she was called all her life. The reason was she was part of an experiment for the five gangs. She was injected with the blood of a vampire, werewolf, gargoyle, robotic android and hybrid. All these things … these monsters, made her into a piece of all they awaited to create. A creature to dominate all the species. That was her purpose since birth.

But she didn't want that. She wanted a family, a boyfriend, older and younger siblings, children of her own, a loving husband. All of the things any normal human would want in their life. She never would have that dream become a reality.

--

Then, something made her tensed. She grew her focus to the city she defended for all five years. Her hearing sharpened as she heard a faint voice behind her, as she was ready to bring the fight to whoever endangered her and New York.

"It's finally time. You must take everything in your path to the next level" a shady voice whispered in her ear as her eyes widened. She knew that voice, but she couldn't remember who it was. Trina turned around, but no one was there. It was only the wind … or was it the wind?

"I can't take this …" she replied as her hearing sharpened again, but this time, it was from the Bronx. She listened closely, but it was only a cat meowing from a trash can. She let out a sigh of relief, but her ears grew sharp.

All of the boroughs were divided equally among the species, but most of them demanded more territory. The vampires had the Bronx; the werewolves had Harlem; the gargoyles had Queens; the androids had Brooklyn; and the hybrids had Staten Island. The only borough that was untouched was Manhattan. It was Trina's safe haven from everything and everyone that was a danger to her.

Her ears sharpened for the third time in one night. A car shrieked across the surface of the street in Harlem. A young child's high pitched scream echoed inside her head, along with the growling sound of a werewolf. She couldn't bear the sound anymore as a vision of a young child being ripped apart by a werewolf, but she quickly removed the vision from her mind.

With one look at the city beneath her feet, she felt her body tense as she stepped off the ledge of the building. Her body plunged from the Empire State Building like a boulder from the sky's dark scene. As soon as she was thirty feet from the concrete ground, she performed a front flip and landed on top of an old car with a loud thud on its roof. Trina jumped down from the car, shook her trench coat to loosen up, and felt her eyes burn with hatred to the werewolves.

--

A red-black Mercedes-Benz flew across the streets of Harlem, leaving heavy skid marks in the concrete. The driver was a young woman, about the age of twenty who just got her license not even a few months ago. She had long red hair with many layers, light brown eyes and pink lips. The woman had very fair skin with a bit of a sun burn over her body. She had French manicured nails; wearing a yellow tank top and royal navy blue jeans along with a pair of white pearl sneakers. The young woman's name was Crystal McCoy. Both she and Trina attended Manhattan High School a few years back.

Everything all changed in their friendship. She found out that Trina killed her brother two years ago, even though there was no proof that she even was near her brother. Like Trina, she was also a hybrid, but only with a human and a werewolf. She could feel the blood staining her mouth, her nails digging into the steering wheel. Her eyes glared white as she could sense Blade arriving in the neighborhood.

--

Blade arrived on the next block, seeing Crystal's car turning the corner of the street she was on. She watched the car approach her as she quickly jumped off the rooftop, landing on top of Crystal's car with a loud thud. For Crystal driving at 65 mph in Harlem, she knew that her former friend had lost her mind.

"Damn! I wonder what her driver's ed teacher thought about her driving?" Trina asked herself as she sharpened her nails and dug them deep into the metal. Crystal noticed that there were no stop signs anywhere down the street, so she could make a short stop on Blade.

"Not this time, vampire bitch! I'm not gonna let you ruin my life again!" Crystal snarled as she slammed her foot on the brakes, causing Trina's body to tumble off the car and against the concrete.

--

A young man knelt on a ledge of a building above the scene, watching as Blade was getting thrashed. It wasn't starting her night out any good, and it made his night a living hell. The stranger happened to be Trina's boyfriend.

"Come on, baby. I know you better than anyone else. You were trained for this shit" the young man said to himself as he just watched her get beaten to a pulp.

His name was Brian McMallard. He was in his early twenties, about the age of twenty-one, twenty-two. Trina … about the age of nineteen, twenty. He wore a pair of rusty-red sunglasses over his hazelnut eyes. He had tanned skin; was about 6'5", weighed 290 pounds, but he was all muscle. Brian wore a pair of black denim jeans, a dark gray shirt underneath his black leather jacket, and carried a couple of weapons. He had two guns with lasers, silver bullets, spiked gloves, a wooden stake, a lighter and a package of explosives. To Trina, he was a one man army. To everyone else, he was a threat.

Brian knew he had to wait until Trina finished this fight … unless she needed back up. He stayed on the ledge as it began to rain down on the city.

--

Trina laid on the concrete, breathing harshly as she tried not to get hit by the car. Her body ached; she probably had a few broken bones, even if she couldn't feel the pain. Trina's lip was busted open; her temple, collarbone, shoulder, and her left arm were all scraped up and bloody.

As Blade stood on her feet, her eyes were blinded by the headlights of Crystal's car. She heard the roaring of the engine and the tires squealing as she tried to block the light from her eyes. She felt her eyes grow smaller as the light finally shimmered in her eyes that were now green.

"Time to die, bitch!" Crystal roared as her fangs glared white, her eyes glowing bright as she was closing in on Blade.

"I'm so sorry, Crystal …" she whispered beneath her breath as she took off her silver glasses, revealing her true identity to Crystal. When she saw Trina, she realized that there was no way she would ever hurt her best friend, even if they were enemies of different species.

"Trina?!" Crystal gasped as she slammed on the brakes, hoping that car would stop before it hit her friend. Trina's eyes began to turn red like the ones of a vampire; her teeth lengthened like the ones of a gargoyle forming fangs; and her nails became long and sharp like the claws of a werewolf. She had no choice but to break Crystal's heart by making her forget about tonight. If Trina had to kill her best friend, then she would have to.

" … but it's for your own good" Trina apologized as soon as her car was right in front of her. She punched the hood of the car. Crystal slammed her head against the steering wheel' shards of glass piercing her flesh as the blood ran down her body.

--

Trina pulled her fist from the hood of the car, collapsing on her hands and knees. She sobbed heavily as she felt the red burning in her eyes began to disappear. Tears traveled down her cheeks while her nails shortened to their natural length, and her fangs became dull and short. She apologized in a whisper as she continued sobbing about the damage she had caused.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry …" she wept as she opened her eyes and looked at the car. Poor Crystal was bloody and knocked out cold; she literally had no idea what the hell just hit her. She probably would wake up at the hospital in the morning.

"It's okay. You did what you had to do" a voice came from behind her, only to see Brian looking at the car, then at her.

"How is this okay? I almost fuckin' killed her!"

"Your instincts took over you. You were trained for this. Besides, shit happens"

"Easy for you to say. But look at me. How the fuck can I live a normal life if I keep lying to people from living a double life?!" she yelled as she punched her fist into the concrete, feeling her skin split and pour out blood.

Brian knew how hard it was for Trina. He knew how she felt every night fighting gangsters, mobs, robbers, street gangs, vampires, gargoyles, werewolves and androids. She didn't have to worry about the hybrids; they were no threat to her. Hell, they loved her as if she were one of their own. Her whole life was a roller coaster. Her family was murdered when she was nine. She lived in the orphanage until she was twelve. Her guardian, Mrs. Patterson, took her in; but she was killed in a police shoot out when she was fourteen. Basically, she had a hard life.

Brian knew Trina had a variety of special gifts. She could see events in the past, present and future. She could hear all kinds of sounds, even from Canada to Australia. He had a few special gifts as well. He could walk through walls, read people's minds, hear their thoughts, and his favorite … turn into a hybrid.

He could hear the sirens, knowing that he and Trina weren't safe in the streets as they stood in the rain.

"Come on, we gotta get outta here" Brian interrupted as he grabbed Trina's arm, and dragged her into an alley.

The alley was pitch black, you couldn't even see your hands in front of your face. The smell of dumpsters and rotten trash cans made her feel sick to her stomach. The touch the cracked walls, made of brick were cold, wet and rough. Trina was tired, but she had to stay out of sight, especially from the cops.

--

She and Brian always felt like they were the prime suspects of the murders in NYC, even though they knew it had to do with the gangs fighting for territory. Trina had enough of the fighting, but she didn't want people to suffer because of her. All she wanted was peace, but was it all too much to ask? She tried everything with all five of the leaders, but none of them would cooperate. She knew it was going to be harder than it looked.

"Brian, I want to go home"

"I know, but we can't let the cops see us" he reassured her as he saw Trina clutch her head in pain. He knew the look … she was reading minds from the cops, radio frequencies, and other thoughts that she didn't want to know.

He couldn't bear to see her in this pain. He learned to block it all out, but she was just starting to feel how it would drive you insane.

"Brian … please take me home!" Trina cried as she felt her nails digging into her scalp, trying so desperately to block out all the thoughts in her head. He could hear the sirens outside the alleyway's entrance. He didn't want anyone to see them, but Brian had to get Trina out of Harlem.

"Oh my God, Jessie, look at that dress …"

"I wish I was famous …"

"I hate my job. Should've been in the army …"

"YOU NEVER LOVED ME, YOU BASTARD! …"

Trina couldn't take it anymore. Her head was about to explode as she clutched her head even harder; her nails were drawing blood from her scalp. Brian had to get her home, but how could he without being seen? He didn't have any special ability that could get him from one place to another. Or did he?

"Baby, I want you to close your eyes" Brian whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her back and shoulders. Her mind was driving her mad as she wanted to put a bullet through her head. Brian closed his eyes, imagining that he and Trina were at her apartment.

Her body felt weak, but the feel of Brian's arms wrapped around her made the feeling go away. The thoughts were all becoming silent, and she felt her body disappearing from Harlem. As soon as the police sirens were at the scene of the "crime", both Brian and Trina had disappeared from Harlem, no one even noticing that there was any suspicion of them being somehow involved with what happened tonight.


	2. Never Kiss And Tell

2

2. Never Kiss and Tell

Poor Crystal …she was badly injured while she just laid in the driver's seat unconscious. Police sirens were blaring as Crystal tried to get out of the car. But she was too weak, even if she could move, she knew better than that.

Her vision was blurry as she could make out the red and blue lights from the police headlights. She closed her eyes, but her mind played a memory that Crystal could never forget. It was from her high school past. She remembered when she and Trina were in their senior year; causing a lot of trouble with Melanie Griffin's mom Susana, the executive owner of Griffins' Enterprise.

--

Crystal and Trina were outside eating lunch with Andrea Vitolo, Jessica DeLaRose, and Felicia Tomas. Even Melanie was there since the six of them were like sisters for so long. They were going to get even for what Susana accused Trina of assault and battery charges on her and Melanie. But she knew that if you can't join them, get even with them. Trina was the queen of payback. A common motto was always said in NYC, "payback is a bitch!".

"Okay, how about we …prank call her?" Jessica suggested as she opened up a bottle of the school's water.

"That is so sixth grade shit! And in case you didn't know, most of NYC was Caller ID. And, she would kill your ass in a second or two" Andrea answered as she stabbed her fork into her homemade taco-chicken-beef salad with hot sauce and ranch dressing.

"Not to be mean, but my mom is too damn smart to fall for any pranks by you guys. No offense, Trina" Melanie apologized to them as she watcher her eating her usual buffet of cafeteria food. Trina didn't say much; she just sat there and ate her bowl of nachos and cheese. She always had something on her mind, and no one wanted to know what she was thinking.

"Okay …how about sending her an outfit with itching powder all over it?" Felicia suggested as she stole a nacho from Trina's tray and dunked it into Andrea's salad.

Andrea was always hyper, especially when it was close to a holiday, a special event or a vacation. She wore some Goth, but only when it was just her and Trina. She had blonde-strawberry hair, black nail polish, black eye liner, and deep pink lips. She wore her Gothic outfit like Trina, but a little different. She had her black chunky heeled boots, black denim jacket and jeans, a black and gray army camo tank top and a black studded belt with a big silver star as her buckle.

Felicia was a cheerleader. She was the leader of the school's cheer squad. She had brunette hair with strawberry highlights, fair skin, shiny pink lips, and wore a pair of blue sunglasses over black eye-lined green eyes. She wore a white and green stripped shirt with a leather vest over it, blue denim jeans, and her "hooker" heels. In Trina's mind; she was a bitch, but also a sister to her. If she needed a shoulder to cry on, she was there.

Jessica …the smart-ass mouth of the school. She had auburn red hair, freckled skin, a bad girl's attitude and a rock star's look. She wore a black tank top with an American flag in rhine stones, dark blue jeans and black etnies sneakers. She was the trouble maker out of the group, even though she knew Trina would kick her ass. She smoked, drank, and partied a lot, but she knew that Trina had her back.

Melanie was kind of a friend to Trina, but they been through so much with each other. She had black hair, fair skin, manicured nails; she wore a pair of light blue capris, a red tank top with embroidered dog tags on it, and a pair of red, white and blue NIKE sneakers. She and Trina had their differences in the past, but all the bad memories were all behind them. But Susana did not forget anything between them. She blamed Trina for all the things that she supposedly caused on Melanie, even calling the police on a false accusation of assault and battery. And now, it was pay back, and it was going to be one big bitch on Susana.

"I don't know about you, but fuck this shit! I need a goddamn cigarette and a beer" Jessica swore as she pulled out a pack of Malboro cigarettes, and put one in her mouth as she was caught by Trina.

"Girl, how many times have I told you about smoking in school?" Trina complained as she pulled cigarette out of Jessica's mouth, and throwing it into the trash can as it made it into the trash.

"Oh! And she scores!" Felicia cheered as she waved her hands in the air as if she were holding pom poms in her hands.

"Nice shot, T-girl. You been practicing?" asked Melanie as she stole a nacho from Trina's tray.

"Nah, it just must be some natural talent of mine"

"Natural talent, my ass" Andrea snorted, looking at her unimpressed.

"At least she gets some action in bed with Brian" Jessica joked as she started to smile.

"Yeah, well at least I got a plan A and B for getting back at Susana, bitches" Trina replied half-joking as the other girls were looking at her like she was high.

"Honey, are you on crack?" Felicia asked her.

"Nope"

"Do you need to see a psychiatrist?" Andrea asked her buddy with a concerned look on her face.

"Probably a therapist, or maybe a relationship counselor" Crystal complained as she glanced at Trina after making the remark.

"Shut up, you slutty ass bitch!" She doesn't need your bullshit about her and Brian. They're happy together, so leave them alone" Jessica retaliated as she slapped Crystal's arm in defense for Trina.

"Thanks, Jessica. So, what's your plan?" Melanie asked as Trina's attention was brought back to the lunch table.

"Has your mom ever dropped her guard?" Trina questioned.

"My mom said she was going to a 'concert', or so she says. Oh, by the way, this is really good. I like your salad Andrea" Melanie mumbled with food in her mouth.

"Thanks. So where's she really going?"

"You promise to never kiss and tell?" Melanie asked her buddies as they all nodded in silence and agreement. Trina nodded as she was planning out her scheme on a napkin, writing like a busy beaver.

"My mom has a business meeting at 6:00 tonight. I think it's with Mr. Morpheus, but I could be wrong. What you got planned so far, Trina?" she asked as she watched Trina put her pen down, and grew a smile on her face.

"I'm such a genius"

"Huh?"

"Alright, check this out. I'll come in with Andrea disguised as the repairmen to do some work in her office …" Trina started as Mel leaned in closer, impressed with the idea.

"Go on, bitch. Don't stop" Jessica snapped.

"… Then, we'll install a trip wire about six to ten feet in front of the door, which will set off the fire alarm in her office …"

"Keep going" Andrea pleaded, sounding pleased.

" …The sprinkler system will go off and spray cow's blood in the room. And a manikin will come crashing to the floor with a knife in its chest, making Susana look guilty for murder" Trina finished as the girls looked at her like she belonged in a mental hospital.

"That is just brutally disgusting" Felicia gasped as she pushed her lunch away from her.

"Nice, I like it, bitches" Jessica responded with a crazed smile on her face.

"Not bad, Trina. You still got it in you" Crystal agreed

"Oh, yeah. I'm digging this one. I want in" Andrea agreed as she wanted to help Trina on this plot.

"Oh, that's beautiful and brilliant. I love you, T-girl" Melanie complimented her as Trina smiled, and finished eating her nachos …

Police vehicles circled around the scene. Police officers, crime scene investigators and medical units blocked the streets with yellow "Do Not Cross" tape around the accident.

--

Many of them were tall, strong and fearful, but the one that made everyone afraid was the Captain of the NYPD, Brandon Chavez. His mother, Maria Chavez, used to be the captain; when she reached the retirement age of 56, she gave the position to her 27 year old son. Most of the workers didn't like it, but after two years, nearly everyone got used to him, and got over his stubborn and badass attitude.

Brandon was a man of African and Hispanic backgrounds, with a well-shaved head, smooth skin, and a pair of blue-shaded sunglasses hiding his shady brown eyes. He wore a creamy tan trench coat with a blue and white suit underneath. Before he became the captain, he was only an officer who got into trouble all the time. He got into fights with the suspects, attorneys, victims, criminals, and employees. Then came Trina Blake, the prettiest girl in all of Manhattan, maybe in all of NYC. When he met her through his best friend Brian McMallard, he stopped getting into trouble.

He stepped out of the car with a partner that was new; her name was Detective Amy Green. She was the second best cop in the NYPD, even though she wasn't in the police department for five years. She may have had some experience in self defense and martial arts classes, she was no match for Trina when she was in her Blade disguise. Trina had five years and Amy had about twelve years of experience, but that didn't matter. When Trina bumped into Amy as Blade three years ago, they had a few rounds at one another. Amy was smart, but not as smart as Trina.

Amy was a woman of French and English backgrounds, wearing a long sleeved black shirt, light blue denim jeans, and a pair of white sunglasses over her hazel eyes. She had long red hair with blonde highlights and had both ears pierced all the length of each ear. She wore a red and black jacket over her shirt. She and Brandon had a secret relationship since she enrolled in the police department. She was only 22 years old, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for love.

"So, what do you think? Androids?" she asked Brandon.

"No, there'd be footprints in the concrete"

"Okay. How about the hybrids?"

"No, they wouldn't do this damage. They wouldn't hurt a fly"

"Um …how about the gargoyles? They look like a suspect here" she asked him, but he didn't respond quickly.

"No, there'd be talon marks in the concrete and on the side of the buildings. Besides, the car would be torn apart and all over the street" he answered as they both inspected the car.

"I smell vampires and werewolves in this one"

"I agree. A vampire would have the guts to drive that fast. And a werewolf would have the fur to tear the front of the car apart like this" Brandon agreed as he looked at the markings in the metal, noting that a vampire and a werewolf could have been the only two species responsible for this damage.

Amy poked her head through the passenger's window, examining the damage that the culprits caused. She saw Crystal leaning on the steering wheel semi-conscious. Her temple and the right side of her face was lacerated and covered in blood. Her arm was broken so she could see the bone piercing through her skin. Amy's stomach wasn't going to take in much more of the scene.

"Should I call for an ambulance?" Amy asked as she started gagging in her throat.

"Yeah, you go ahead. I'll try to move her out of the car" he excused Amy from the scene, but Amy stepped a few feet away from the car and started vomiting. Brandon knew that Amy didn't have a strong stomach, especially in a bloody crime scene.

"You okay, Amy?"

"Yeah …I'll be okay in a minute …" she tried to hold it in, but turned around and continued to vomit while Brandon carried Crystal out of the car. While Crystal was unconscious, she had another memory playing in her mind from high school.

--

Andrea was sitting on the front steps of Manhattan High. All of the girls were suppose to meet at noon for lunch at the main entrance, but no one else had shown up. Andrea never bought cafeteria food because she thought the food was either contagious, contaminated or radioactive. So, she brought in homemade lunches from her oriental family.

As she was about to leave, she heard the school's main door creak with Felicia running like she was on the track team.

"I'm so sorry. The damn line at Burger King was too fucking long. You want anything?" Felicia explained as she sat next to Andrea while taking off her sneakers. She grabbed a wrapped-up chicken sandwich and held it out to Andrea, but she refused to take it. She knew that Felicia would not take no for an answer.

"Ah, what the hell" Andrea replied as she took the chicken sandwich out of Felicia's hands.

"Anyway, Jess, Crystal, Mel and Trina will be along soon. And speaking of Crystal …" Andrea replied as she stole some of Felicia's French fries.

"… and Melanie, now that's a surprise" Felicia replied as they raced along the sidewalk and fumbled up the school steps, their heavy bags dangling from their shoulders.

"Hey guys. This day really sucks ass. I lost my keys to my car today, and now I'm really fucked" Crystal replied as se grabbed her lunch from Subway out of her bag.

"I got into a big argument with my mom, but she'll get over it" Melanie replied as she rolled her eyes and took half of Crystal's turkey and BLT sandwich.

"What happened last night? Did you see the plan in action?" Felicia asked Mel as she ate with a mouthful of her chicken sandwich.

"I don't know. I was in my apartment when it happened. I heard that there were a lot of cops at my mom's work. She was fuckin' pissed, so we gotta ask Trina how it went down" Mel mumbled with some of Andrea's salad and some of her BLT sub.

Jessica arrived in her 2000 Grand Cherokee Jeep with a coat of red paint. She parked in front of the school's main entrance; climbed out of the car and sprinted up the stairs until collapsing in front of Andrea and Felicia, trying to catch her breath.

"Hey, bitches. Sorry I'm really late. Felicia, you got my lunch?" Jessica asked her as she pulled out her cigarettes and lighter.

"Yup, right here" Felicia replied, giving her smoking-addicted friend her triple-decker burger and onion rings.

"Thanks"

"Okay, now all we need to do is wait for Trina" Melanie replied with a mouthful of her BLT sandwich and some of Jessica's onion rings.

"As if that crazy bitch is ever gonna show up" Jessica retorted as she put a cigarette in her mouth. She was about to light it when she felt a hand on her shoulder; nails that were like knives digging into the fabric.

"Well, this crazy bitch is here. The evil scheme was a success and …Jess, how many times have I told you about smoking?" Trina mused at first, but then felt disappointed as she grabbed the cigarette out of Jessica's mouth, and sat in front of Crystal and Melanie.

"Trina! You're here at last!" Andrea jumped for joy as she hugged her until Trina couldn't breathe.

"I told you I'd be a little late"

"A little?! You are 20 minutes late!" Jess complained while stuffing her mouth with her BLT.

"Hungry?" Felicia asked Trina as Andrea let go of her and went back to her lunch.

"Yeah, but I can't take your lunch"

"I can eat a lot, but you never eat. Besides, I'm full. You need to eat" Felicia said as she gave Trina the entire bag with three large fries, two spicy tendercrisp chicken sandwiches, and two crispy chicken salads. She knew Trina was busy at the college, and working long hours at the Home night club with Brian. The least she could do was have something in her stomach.

"So, did your 'evil scheme' work?" asked Crystal.

"Yeah, and I got it on tape" Trina replied as she stole a few fries out of the bag.

"Let's see" Jess asked as Trina took out her camcord camera. But she looked at the time, noticing that she had to leave for work at the Home with Brian.

"I gotta go"

"But you just got here" Crystal squealed as Trina was packing her lunch, and running down the stairs.

"I know. I'll call you guys later. I'm sorry …" Trina cried out as she ran down the sidewalk, and away from everyone.

--

Amy and Brandon were following the ambulance carrying Crystal to a local hospital in their cop car. Any saw the clock by the radio, reading 1:25 A.M. Brandon saw the look on her face, knowing that something was wrong.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired. It's no big deal" she answered quickly as Amy turned away from Brandon; but she rubbed her eyes furiously with her fingers, trying so hard to stay awake.

"Let me drive"

"Why?"

"I can tell that you haven't gotten any sleep for a few days. I've had more experience driving at night, especially this late. And you look like you could use a good night's rest" Brandon explained as he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I can't sleep anymore"

"Everything alright at home?" Brandon asked her as they came to a stop light, and Amy stopped the car. She buried her face in her hands as she tried to not talk about the situation.

"Amy?"

"My parents got a divorce. It's about my youngest brother Nikki. He thinks he's the reason why mom and dad are fuckin' arguing. I went to court and told the judge that I would take him in. I don't think he'll let me take Nikki 'cause I'm a cop" Amy explained as she felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks. She hit the steering wheel out of frustration as she tried to think of Nikki.

"I think I can arrange that for you. I know that judge that's working on the divorce. He happens to be my grandfather, Judge Michael Van Cruz, am I right?"

"Yeah, but …"

"We'll talk later. For now let me drive" Brandon insisted as Amy got out of the car and walked into the passenger seat while Brandon climbed into the driver's seat.

When the light turned green, Brandon began following the ambulance to a local hospital. He glanced over to Amy, who immediately fell asleep and smiled to himself; continuing to drive to the hospital.


	3. Manhattan Dreams Or Nightmares

3

3. Manhattan Dreams or Nightmares

1:45 AM. In East Manhattan, the streets were quiet, clean, and peaceful. In some streets of Manhattan, it was always loud, nasty living conditions, and very disturbing crimes. On the rooftop of the apartment building of 5953 East Queens Street, Brian and Trina appeared on the roof, wrapped in each other's arms.

"Trina …wake up" Brian whispered to her as she opened her eyes, looked at her surroundings, and smiled to herself. She was at home, and it was quiet.

She took off her silver-winged sunglasses, pulled away from Brian and looked at her surroundings again. She rubbed her eyes as she still had the thought of Crystal in her mind. She saw the blood on her mouth, which had Trina thinking about the young child being killed by a werewolf. She clutched at her head as the vision came into her mind again.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just tired"

"Come on, I'll put you to bed" Brian comforted as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and led her to the door to the floor beneath them. Trina's body pounded in ache, feeling bruises building on top of each other in her skin; beneath her muscles and bones. She felt like crying, but she held it in.

They came to the door, leading to the floor where she lived. It had a computer key, but Brian didn't know what the code was.

"Um, baby? I don't know the code"

"Shit! I got it. Next time, remind me to tell you" she groaned as she hit her hand on her forehead, realizing that she forgot to tell Brian the code to unlock the door. Trina typed in the numbers 555; 9801; 64280; and 0713, and the door opened.

"Can you walk down the stairs?"

"I could, but I'm so tired"

"Alright. Hold on" Brian replied as he picked Trina up into his arms, and carried her down the stairs like a groom carrying his bride at a wedding. He climbed down the stairs as Trina laid her head on his shoulder, her arms snaked around his neck.

--

Brian climbed down the flight of stairs until they were at the bottom, and turned a hard right. They came up to a door with the numbers 723, which was her apartment. Trina slid her hand into her pocket, and pulled out her keys. The hallway was lightly dimmed, all hardwood flooring and clean. The top floor was always cleaned since Trina was the only tenant living on that floor. No one else would move in because they thought she would harass them or thought of her as a freak.

"I'll get the door" Brian insisted as he lowered Trina to the ground, took the keys from her and began to unlock the door.

Trina suddenly felt a heaviness come upon her. Her eyes were starting to close, but she tried so desperately to stay awake. Her body was becoming limp as she started to drift off to sleep.

"About time this door opened. Okay, baby …uh, Trina?" he replied at first, but then asked as Brian saw Trina up against the wall finally asleep.

He smiled to himself as he carefully picked her up, and carried her into the apartment; closing the door behind him with a kick. The room was enormous; its large sliding windows decorated with midnight blue curtains, overlooked the city's night scenery. The living room and kitchen were connected, but were different. It was a majestic pale blue, the living room was; decorated with matching furniture, light brown carpeting, and ornaments of angels. It was more of a sanctuary to her than just an ordinary living room.

"Can you stay here, baby?"

"Trina, I can't. I gotta go to work tonight" he complained as he lowered her onto the couch.

"Then call in sick"

"Can't. Tony needs me real bad. Randy had a family emergency, so I'm filling in" Brian told her as he brushed away a few strands of her hair from her eyes. He knew how much she loved him, and how she wanted him to stay with her.

"Okay. But call me after" Trina gave in, letting out a depressed sigh as she let Brian go do his job.

"I promise. But please …get some sleep" he promised as he kissed her forehead at first, then started kissing her pillow-soft lips. Her fears of Brian being in trouble or getting killed by any of the species or by Zack were driven away. His kiss was pure innocence, brushing lightly across hers as all of her fears, disasters, and nightmares burned out of her mind.

"Brian, I …" she whispered to him as she felt him pull away from her. When she opened her eyes, Brian wasn't there. She turned to the large windows, noticing that one of them was opened with the wind blowing into the apartment.

She knew that Brian had to make his way to work. It was only seven years ago when they first met. Though, she was dating his brother Zack. He was the kind that they're sweet to you at first, then they start abusing you. And that was the kind of relationship she was in until she dumped Zack for Brian. They started out just as friends, but a few months later, they began to date each other. For six and a half years, they've been through the good and the bad.

"I love you, Brian …" she whispered to herself, closing her eyes for a brief moment. She began to think of when she went to the Home after she "ditched" her friends at Manhattan High. She remembered it as if it were yesterday, but it felt like an eternity.

--

Trina walked along the sidewalk, noticing the building across the street looking like it was closed. She started to smile as she recognized it as the club called the Home. She saw a bodyguard standing in front of the doorway; he was large, about 6'3''; 265 pounds, wearing a leather vest, blue jeans and a pair of black sunglasses. He was about in his late 30s, but he wasn't bad looking for his age. His name was Bi JJ, but she liked calling him Daddy JJ.

She looked at both ends of the somewhat busy street, took a deep breath, and ran as fast as she could to the entrance of the club.

"Daddy JJ!" Trina yelled as she stepped onto the sidewalk. At first, he didn't recognize her, but he smiled at her, knowing that she was his favorite customer, and she also worked as a barmaid at the Home.

"Hey, sweetie. What you up to lately?"

"Nothing. I just got back from school. Is Brian here?"

"Yeah, he's training a new kid. Listen, it won't be busy for a while so make yourself at home" JJ explained to her as he opened the door for her, and closed it behind her to make sure no one got in for free.

The club was huge, since it was both a restaurant with its own bar and its large dance floor. The dance floor was black and white, like the ones on a checkerboard; the ceiling was black as midnight with the dance lights sticking out like bright stars. The club had a stage with a DJ mixer that everyone just had to have for themselves. Once in a while, Trina would be the DJ, and everyone screamed for her. For an ameatuer, she was the best.

The part of the club that was a restaurant was fancy with red and gold paint, table cloths, furniture, and other expensive pieces of paintings and china dishes. The silence made Trina a little crazy as she frantically looked for Brian.

"Goddamn it, Brian! Where the hell are you?!" she swore underneath her breath as she smacked her forehead. Her hearing sharpened; the silence was broken as she heard glass shattering across a hard surface, piercing the silence that almost was haunting Trina like an unrest ghost.

"Fuck! I can't get this shit right!" a young bartender shouted as he was picking up the broken shards of glass, and threw them into the trash can.

"Don't worry about it. Everyone can't get it right the first time" Brian replied as he grabbed two new glasses from underneath the bar.

Trina walked over to the bar, feeling the new bartender's frustration and her heart beating for Brian at the same time. She was happy to see Brian, but for some reason, her instincts were concentrated on the glasses in the young bartender's hands.

"Okay, so flip, twirl and toss ...or was it twirl, flip and toss?" the bartender muttered as he held the glasses and tossed them into the air. And without realizing what she was doing, she caught the glasses before the young bartender could catch them. Her heart didn't make one beat in that time.

Brian's back was turned to the bartender he was training. He knew that BJ was a good kid, but he may not be right for a bartender. BJ was only nineteen, but at least he kept his nose clean, unlike Brian, who had some problems at the club with a few people.

"_No crash? Maybe he got it…" _Brian thought to himself as he wiped his hands on a towel. When he turned around, he saw Trina catching the glasses as they almost hit the bar.

"What's your name, hon?" Trina asked the young bartender as she twirled the glasses between her fingers with a smile on her face.

"BJ Reynolds"

"You want to be a bartender?" she asked him as she stopped twirling the glasses in her fingers.

"Yeah, but I can't do anything right!" BJ answered in frustration as Trina leaned in close to the bar.

"You wanna know a little secret? When you perform tricks with glasses, you toss, twirl and flip before serving the drinks" she instructed as she performed the demonstration to BJ slowly at first, then performed quick.

"Sweet! Thanks a lot, ma'am" he replied as he performed the tricks to Trina, then went into the kitchen to perform for Tony and the other chefs.

Brian didn't know what to say as he saw Trina do a trick that complex. He couldn't do it like she did without breaking a few glasses.

"Load me up with the usual" Trina ordered as she pulled up a bar stool, sat in front of Brian, and slammed her fist into the wood of the bar with a smile on her face.

"I'll load you up with a double" Brian laughed as he leaned over the bar and placed a gentle kiss on Trina's pillow-like lips.

"Hey baby"

"What are you doing here? Skipping school again?" Brian laughed as she gave him a pouty face.

"Me? No. it was our last day of school, and I wanted to have lunch here"

"With me?"

"Yeah, if you're not busy"

He looked at her for a moment, smiling, thinking about where they could get lunch. He realized that they weren't busy until five tonight. It was a perfect idea since he and Trina never ate where they worked.

"Hey Tony!" Brian yelled into the kitchen.

"What?!"

"That grill fired up yet?"

"Yeah, what you guys want?"

"The usual. A crispy chicken salad with extra onions and ranch dressing, and a slice of veggie pizza" Brian ordered as he heard Tony working on the oven.

"Be ready in 10 minutes"

Brian looked at Trina, her beauty was flawless as he stared into her moonlit eyes.

"What are you thinking?" she asked him as she felt him grab her hand, and twined his fingers with hers.

"If I should kiss you right now"

"Then go for it" she challenged him as he leaned over the bar, and kissed her tender lips so passionately that she didn't want it to end.

--

Trina opened her eyes, realizing that she needed sleep more than ever as she stretched her arms and legs. She took off her three-inch heels, throwing them across the room; her feet were being punished for wearing three inch heels on patrol.

She climbed off the couch and walked to her bedroom as she un-zipped her leather jacket and let it fall behind her. When she was in the doorway of her room, she leaned her shoulder against the doorway and let her tears run down her face. She couldn't take one more night of fighting with the species. Trina slid down the door frame, wrapping her arms around her midsection, feeling like she didn't belong anywhere.

"Brian, please help me. I can't live like this any longer. Brian …" Trina cried softly as she closed her eyes, and felt like she was being engulfed in darkness.

--

Everything around her was dark. No sun, no moon, not stars or lights. Not even a single candle was lit. Trina stood in the darkness, only wearing a long-sleeve night-gown that went down to the tips of her kneecaps. She had the color white on her gown, looking frantically for someone special, but where was he? She couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Brian?!" she called out into the darkness, trying to find her other half, but no answer came to her. All she heard was a ghostly whisper throughout the ebony room.

"Trina …" the ghostly whisper rushed to her as the dark room began to brighten with what seemed a thousand candles.

She looked toward the middle of the room in terror, he heart in her throat as she saw Brian. She heard a high-pitched scream rise out of her as she saw him with a rope around his neck. Dead. His body limp and covered in blood. His skin was lacerated with marks as she continued to scream until the nightmare faded out of her mind.

--

Trina woke up from the nightmare, screaming after what she saw in her mind. Brian dead? No, he couldn't be. Her heart pounded madly against her breast as she pulled her knees up to her chest, and laid her head down on her knees. Thinking. Her breath was short and raspy; her eyes swelled with tears as she thought about Brian.

Her hair started to poke her eyes as she blinked continuously, trying to rid of her tears. But to no avail, she wouldn't get Brian off her mind. She raked her hands and nails into her hair, pulling at the strands, trying to settle her mind for one night.

"Brian! I need you here! Please help me. I can't live this way without you. Please! I need your help!" Trina cried in heavy sobs as she buried her hands with her face. Her body convulsed uncontrollably as she longed to be in Brian's arms, wanting him, needing him in her grasp. She breathed heavy as she kept thinking about Brian.


End file.
